Braised Shaanxi Pasta (Mashi)
Chinese name: 烩麻食 (huì má shí)Style: Shaanxi Cuisine
Characteristics: It is characterized by rich ingredients and its colorful appearance. The pasta is soft yet firm while the sauce has a deep and fresh flavor.
Braised Shaanxi Pasta, a traditional food in Shaanxi people's reservations, is a combination of a variety of vegetables. The pasta (called Mashi or Mao Er Duo in Chinese) for this dish is in the form of hollow date-stone-shaped flour rolls, formed with the thumb or made with a special machine. As this recipe presents, usually all of the ingredients are stir-fried first and then braised with Mashi, so the soup has a satisfying flavor.
Making Shaanxi Pasta
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| A. Take 2 bowls of flour and pour into a small basin. Make a hole in the middle and gradually add small quantities of water until it forms into small pieces. Sprinkle some more water on the flour pieces and stir by hand to form a paste on a board and smooth it out. Put it into the basin to be fermented for 20-30 minutes. |
Ingredients:
pasta (mashi), 350-400g
green vegetables, 200g
carrot, 150g
chili pepper, 100g
tofu, 150g
mushrooms, 150-200g
black fugus, 20g
potato, 150g
1 tomato
green onion
soy sauce
powdered pepper
salt
Note:
1. The amount of the ingredients above serves two to three people.
2. The amount of the ingredients especially the seasonings listed above can be appropriately used according to one's personal taste.
Preparation:
A. Wash the mushrooms, tomato, potato, carrot, tofu, chili pepper, dice them, and put into separate plates;
B. Wash the green vegetables, tear them into halves;
C. Wash the black fungus, and cut them into small slices;
D. Wash the green onion, and cut into short sections.
Methods:
| STEP 1 Half fill a wok with water, turn on the heat and pour in the pasta when the water is boiling. Stir and boil for about 3 minutes until 50% cooked, and then turn off the heat. Remove and drain off the water through a colander. Put them in a basin or a bowl. |
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| STEP 2 Empty the wok and dry it. Place it over high heat until hot. Add some cooking oil, and add the green onion sections, chili pepper, carrot, potato and tomato dices one by one when the oil is sizzling. Stir-fry for 1 minute. |
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| STEP 3 Add the salt, powdered pepper, and soy sauce, and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the tofu dices, black fungus slices, and mushroom dices, and stir-fry for 1 minute more. |
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| STEP 4 Add in some water until all of the materials are immersed. Stir it well, and add in the boiled Mashi when it boils. Turn to medium heat, cover and stew it for 3-6 minutes more. Remove the cover, and add the green vegetable halves. Stir it well and turn off the heat. |
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| STEP 5 Spoon it out of the wok and serve in a bowl. What a helpful recipe! A bowl of tasty Braised Shaanxi Pasta is now ready. |
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Our Guest Learn to Make Chinese Dumplings
On July 23, 2012, Ms. Helen & Ms. Sovanlouri from USA had an opportunity to learn to cook some local food - Pan Fried Dumplings & Braised Shaanxi Pasta from a typical housewife in Xi'an when they took part in our family tour. They enjoyed the special cooking class so much that they said they would recommend this to their relatives and friends who planned to travel China. -
Christopher & Kerrie in a Local Family
On Jun.13, 2012, Mr. Christopher & Ms. Kerrie from Australia joined a visit to a local family open with cooking class in Xi'an. This home visit was above exceptional with the friendly hostess. They learnt to make dumplings and cook Braised Shaanxi Pasta under the step-by-step guidance of the hostess. They had a great home-made lunch, which in their view was very different from that offered by restaurants.See Christopher & Kerrie's Feedback and Video -
Our Guests Learn to Make Chinese Dumplings
On Aug. 2, 2011, guests of TravelChinaGuide, Mr. Jacobus & Ms. Cornelia from the Netherlands visited a typical family in Xi'an and had a hand-by-hand Chinese food cooking class from the hostess. With great favor to Chinese food, they didn't only learned to cook Braised Shaanxi Pasta, Chinese Dumpling and Sweet and Sour Pork Fillet, but also helped to prepare all the other dishes the hostess cooked for them.
